to wait for
ekdechomai is used of awaiting people, a shared meal, a city, an outcome, or a harvest with expectation or patience.
The attested use consistently concerns awaiting an expected person, event, place, outcome, or yield: people are awaited in 1 Corinthians 16:11 and Acts 17:16, fellow diners in 1 Corinthians 11:33, and anticipated realities in Hebrews 10:13, Hebrews 11:10, and James 5:7. The contexts range from practical mutual consideration to patient expectation of what is yet to come.
Senses in use
-
Awaiting an expected person or shared action · dominant
In 1 Corinthians 11:33, the present middle plural form occurs in the instruction for those coming together to eat; the APB renders the clause "wait for one another." In 1 Corinthians 16:11 and Acts 17:16, present middle forms concern awaiting named people who are expected to arrive or join the speaker.
-
Patient expectation of a future outcome · common
In Hebrews 10:13, a present middle participle describes awaiting the point at which enemies are made a footstool. In Hebrews 11:10, the imperfect middle indicative concerns a city with foundations, while James 5:7 uses a present middle indicative for the farmer awaiting the fruit of the earth with patience.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB uses "wait for," "waiting for," "was waiting for," "He is waiting," and "waits" across these verses. These render the verse-level action consistently.